CrackBerry.com - Research In Motionhttp://crackberry.com/tag/research-motion
enResearch In Motion vs. BlackBerry - Which name is better?http://crackberry.com/research-motion-vs-blackberry-which-name-better

A few days ago, BlackBerry CEO John Chen sat down with Bloomberg to discuss his briefings with the White House, MDM and most notable for this post, the changing of the company name from Research In Motion to BlackBerry. Chen noted he liked the name Research In Motion better but alas, was not there when the change over happened so he wasn't able to weigh the pros and cons of it all.

A few days ago, BlackBerry CEO John Chen sat down with Bloomberg to discuss his briefings with the White House, MDM and most notable for this post, the changing of the company name from Research In Motion to BlackBerry. Chen noted he liked the name Research In Motion better but alas, was not there when the change over happened so he wasn't able to weigh the pros and cons of it all.

BlackBerry, is a Canadian telecommunication and wireless equipment company best known as the developer of the BlackBerry brand of smartphones and tablets. The company is headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and was founded in 1984 my Mike Lazaridis alongside Co-Founder, Jim Balsillie. The first BlackBerry device, an email pager dubbed the BlackBerry 850, was released in 1999. Since then, BlackBerry products and services have continued to change the way millions of people around the world stay connected. As of February 1st, 2013 the company formerly known as Research In Motion now operates globally under the iconic name BlackBerry. To coincide with the company name change, on February 4th, 2013 BlackBerry changed their stock ticker information from RIMM to BBRY on the NASDAQ exchange and on the TSX exchange, BB. Here, you will find all the latest news surrounding the company stock, press releases and financial information.

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BlackBerry, is a Canadian telecommunication and wireless equipment company best known as the developer of the BlackBerry brand of smartphones and tablets. The company is headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and was founded in 1984 my Mike Lazaridis alongside Co-Founder, Jim Balsillie. The first BlackBerry device, an email pager dubbed the BlackBerry 850, was released in 1999. Since then, BlackBerry products and services have continued to change the way millions of people around the world stay connected. As of February 1st, 2013 the company formerly known as Research In Motion now operates globally under the iconic name BlackBerry. To coincide with the company name change, on February 4th, 2013 BlackBerry changed their stock ticker information from RIMM to BBRY on the NASDAQ exchange and on the TSX exchange, BB. Here, you will find all the latest news surrounding the company stock, press releases and financial information.

RIMM will no longer be used and in its place, those looking to check in on their stock will have to hit up BB on the TSX and BBRY on the NASDAQ. Arguably, the change should have come long before this but no matter how you look at it; we're witnessing a small piece of history here in the making. If you're looking for the full press releases on the matter, we've got it down below for you all to read through at your leisure.

RIMM will no longer be used and in its place, those looking to check in on their stock will have to hit up BB on the TSX and BBRY on the NASDAQ. Arguably, the change should have come long before this but no matter how you look at it; we're witnessing a small piece of history here in the making. If you're looking for the full press releases on the matter, we've got it down below for you all to read through at your leisure.

Back in December RIM opened a Tech Center in Brazil. The tech center is part of the BlackBerry Academic Program and while we posted on the launch of one tech center opening, two centers at two universities were actually launched in the country - Federal University of Algaos (UFAL) and Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE).

You'll remember that RIM also opened a Tech Center in the U.K. at their U.K. Headquarters however the centers differ in a way that the sessions and support are not provided by RIM employees. What was done in Brazil was they gave out 10 scholarships, trained students and professors alike and they in-turn became BlackBerry experts so they could provided the technical support for the Tech Center.

Check out the video highlights from the opening of both Tech Centers. The video above is from the UFAL opening, the video below is from the UFPE launch. Perhaps one day, I'll make some time to pop-up in RIM U.K. headquarters for some app developing technical support. You can certainly feel the enthusiam of both the developers and experts alike.

Back in December RIM opened a Tech Center in Brazil. The tech center is part of the BlackBerry Academic Program and while we posted on the launch of one tech center opening, two centers at two universities were actually launched in the country - Federal University of Algaos (UFAL) and Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE).

You'll remember that RIM also opened a Tech Center in the U.K. at their U.K. Headquarters however the centers differ in a way that the sessions and support are not provided by RIM employees. What was done in Brazil was they gave out 10 scholarships, trained students and professors alike and they in-turn became BlackBerry experts so they could provided the technical support for the Tech Center.

Check out the video highlights from the opening of both Tech Centers. The video above is from the UFAL opening, the video below is from the UFPE launch. Perhaps one day, I'll make some time to pop-up in RIM U.K. headquarters for some app developing technical support. You can certainly feel the enthusiam of both the developers and experts alike.

It seems almost every day now that a new Canadian retailer joins the growing list of places to preorder a new BlackBerry 10 device. The Mobile Shop (a cellphone store located in Loblaws locations) has joined the list and will now allow for BlackBerry 10 preorders as well. The details are still sparse on price points for the device however. The internal document from The Mobile Shop states that you will be able to put down a small fee to complete a preorder. I know i’m ready with a preorder, who else from the CrackBerry Nation is already on the list? Chime in with a comment below.

It seems almost every day now that a new Canadian retailer joins the growing list of places to preorder a new BlackBerry 10 device. The Mobile Shop (a cellphone store located in Loblaws locations) has joined the list and will now allow for BlackBerry 10 preorders as well. The details are still sparse on price points for the device however. The internal document from The Mobile Shop states that you will be able to put down a small fee to complete a preorder. I know i’m ready with a preorder, who else from the CrackBerry Nation is already on the list? Chime in with a comment below.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited to the BlackBerry Elite Program event that took place at RIM's UK HQ in Slough. The Elite Program has been set up to identify and empower the most passionate people in the BlackBerry community with information and opportunities for them to stay connected with BlackBerry. I'm not in the program myself but I suppose I got special treatment as we have the number one fan site.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited to the BlackBerry Elite Program event that took place at RIM's UK HQ in Slough. The Elite Program has been set up to identify and empower the most passionate people in the BlackBerry community with information and opportunities for them to stay connected with BlackBerry. I'm not in the program myself but I suppose I got special treatment as we have the number one fan site.

We may be getting closer and closer to the BlackBerry 10 launch event on January 30th but that isn't stopping RIM from continuing to promote BlackBerry 7. Over on their YouTube channel they have released a couple of new promo videos, each one focusing on a specific feature of BB7. BlackBerry Tag and Wikitude are featured once again and this clearly goes to show that although many markets around the world are set to launch BB10, there are also some where BB7 is still going to be the focus. That said, until they release some lower end BB10 smartphones, the BB7 devices are still going to be a huge part of the business for RIM.

We may be getting closer and closer to the BlackBerry 10 launch event on January 30th but that isn't stopping RIM from continuing to promote BlackBerry 7. Over on their YouTube channel they have released a couple of new promo videos, each one focusing on a specific feature of BB7. BlackBerry Tag and Wikitude are featured once again and this clearly goes to show that although many markets around the world are set to launch BB10, there are also some where BB7 is still going to be the focus. That said, until they release some lower end BB10 smartphones, the BB7 devices are still going to be a huge part of the business for RIM.

Just days before the BlackBerry 10 launch event a group of BB10 developers are going to build an app up a mountain. Yes, you did read that right! On January 20th a team of ten developers will be heading for a swift walk up Mount Kilimanjaro. That's some feat by itself, but in addition, once they reach the summit they will endeavour to build a BlackBerry 10 charity application.

Just days before the BlackBerry 10 launch event a group of BB10 developers are going to build an app up a mountain. Yes, you did read that right! On January 20th a team of ten developers will be heading for a swift walk up Mount Kilimanjaro. That's some feat by itself, but in addition, once they reach the summit they will endeavour to build a BlackBerry 10 charity application.

NFC is still not as widely used as it could be, but things are definitely coming along and being introduced to the general public. RIM has kicked things up a bit by putting an NFC ad in Rogers Connected magazine. The ad, when tapped with an NFC-enabled device, allows users instant access to a holiday gift offer, free BlackBerry apps, information on the new BlackBerry 10 devices and download of CIBC's mobile payment app. The ad is the first of its kind in Canada and looks to pave the way for many more. Check out the video above to see it in action.

NFC is still not as widely used as it could be, but things are definitely coming along and being introduced to the general public. RIM has kicked things up a bit by putting an NFC ad in Rogers Connected magazine. The ad, when tapped with an NFC-enabled device, allows users instant access to a holiday gift offer, free BlackBerry apps, information on the new BlackBerry 10 devices and download of CIBC's mobile payment app. The ad is the first of its kind in Canada and looks to pave the way for many more. Check out the video above to see it in action.

RIM has revised their licensing agreement with InterDigital today, adding coverage for 4G devices moving forward. RIM previously had a non-exclusive agreement with InterDigital and with the new terms adds coverage for 4G products including LTE devices. Currently RIM doesn't offer any LTE-enabled devices aside from the 4G/LTE BlackBerry PlayBook but will be unveiling their latest 4G enabled BlackBerry 10 phones at the end of the month. Catch the full press release below.

RIM has revised their licensing agreement with InterDigital today, adding coverage for 4G devices moving forward. RIM previously had a non-exclusive agreement with InterDigital and with the new terms adds coverage for 4G products including LTE devices. Currently RIM doesn't offer any LTE-enabled devices aside from the 4G/LTE BlackBerry PlayBook but will be unveiling their latest 4G enabled BlackBerry 10 phones at the end of the month. Catch the full press release below.

RIM and Nokia settled their differences last week in their ongoing patent case. While originally it was unsure of the actual payment amount, in RIM's 6-K filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, it was disclosed that Nokia will be receiving an initial payment of $65 million in addition to "ongoing payments" from RIM for use of the patents. The agreement puts an end to the issues between RIM and Nokia and will allow RIM to continue to use the patents in question while continuing to make royalty payments in the future. The $65M payment was included in RIM's Q3 earnings report last week.

RIM and Nokia settled their differences last week in their ongoing patent case. While originally it was unsure of the actual payment amount, in RIM's 6-K filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, it was disclosed that Nokia will be receiving an initial payment of $65 million in addition to "ongoing payments" from RIM for use of the patents. The agreement puts an end to the issues between RIM and Nokia and will allow RIM to continue to use the patents in question while continuing to make royalty payments in the future. The $65M payment was included in RIM's Q3 earnings report last week.

Well, many of you dropped comments on the post and asked questions. So I thought I'd record a quick video to go through some of the most common questions and concerns. Tell me if you like the format (minus my horrible ability to draw on a pen tablet).

Well, many of you dropped comments on the post and asked questions. So I thought I'd record a quick video to go through some of the most common questions and concerns. Tell me if you like the format (minus my horrible ability to draw on a pen tablet).

Following up on yesterday's earnings report, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins sat down for an interview with CNBC. We're still moving forward to the BlackBerry 10 launch at full force, however RIM is being analyzed on all levels regarding their financials and what's next before the launch. During the interview, Heins first talked a bit about service revenue and reiterated that they're not going anywhere. (Service revenues are the fees to which carriers and companies are charged for BIS/BES use.) While RIM will be offering new services with BlackBerry 10, the current service revenues won't be going away.

"We are transitioning. We are not stopping, we are not halting, we are not disrupting. We are transitioning .. towards the next generation of BlackBerry devices and services". Heins stated that he's very satisfied with the reported results and feels that the transition to BlackBerry 10 is "prepared well and is going to be executed well".

Following up on yesterday's earnings report, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins sat down for an interview with CNBC. We're still moving forward to the BlackBerry 10 launch at full force, however RIM is being analyzed on all levels regarding their financials and what's next before the launch. During the interview, Heins first talked a bit about service revenue and reiterated that they're not going anywhere. (Service revenues are the fees to which carriers and companies are charged for BIS/BES use.) While RIM will be offering new services with BlackBerry 10, the current service revenues won't be going away.

"We are transitioning. We are not stopping, we are not halting, we are not disrupting. We are transitioning .. towards the next generation of BlackBerry devices and services". Heins stated that he's very satisfied with the reported results and feels that the transition to BlackBerry 10 is "prepared well and is going to be executed well".

Research In Motion has been getting some publicity in the Philippines recently when they teamed up with Esquire Magazine and had a night of extravagant fun and glamour .

Esquire Magazine celebrated their first anniversary in the Philippines with a ball gathering some of Manila's biggest celebrities and VIPs. RIM's Philippine team arranged to be one of the co-presenters of this event. It had its own BlackBerry Alcove, where it showcased devices like the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and the Porsche P'9881. Prior to the ball, it ran a Facebook draw where lucky fans won a make-over and tickets to this exclusive event.

It's great to see RIM getting involved in some events which are not technology based to help boost their market presence.

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Research In Motion has been getting some publicity in the Philippines recently when they teamed up with Esquire Magazine and had a night of extravagant fun and glamour .

Esquire Magazine celebrated their first anniversary in the Philippines with a ball gathering some of Manila's biggest celebrities and VIPs. RIM's Philippine team arranged to be one of the co-presenters of this event. It had its own BlackBerry Alcove, where it showcased devices like the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and the Porsche P'9881. Prior to the ball, it ran a Facebook draw where lucky fans won a make-over and tickets to this exclusive event.

It's great to see RIM getting involved in some events which are not technology based to help boost their market presence.

Back in November, Nokia was seeking a ban the on the sale of all BlackBerry smartphones with WLAN capabilities following a dispute over patent royalty fees arguing that an earlier patent ruling states RIM is not allowed to manufacture devices with wifi connectivity. RIM argued the matter stating that agreement from 2003 in which Nokia licensed various patents regarding mobile devices to RIM should have covered those patents. Jump ahead to today and the scuffle is over as Nokia have entered into a new patent license agreement with Research In Motion:

"We are very pleased to have resolved our patent licensing issues with RIM and reached this new agreement, while maintaining Nokia's ability to protect our unique product differentiation," said Paul Melin, chief intellectual property officer at Nokia. "This agreement demonstrates Nokia's industry leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market."

While the full terms of the agreement are not noted and remain confidential, it is highlighted that the agreements consists of a one-time payment and on-going payments from RIM to Nokia. So, that's that.

Back in November, Nokia was seeking a ban the on the sale of all BlackBerry smartphones with WLAN capabilities following a dispute over patent royalty fees arguing that an earlier patent ruling states RIM is not allowed to manufacture devices with wifi connectivity. RIM argued the matter stating that agreement from 2003 in which Nokia licensed various patents regarding mobile devices to RIM should have covered those patents. Jump ahead to today and the scuffle is over as Nokia have entered into a new patent license agreement with Research In Motion:

"We are very pleased to have resolved our patent licensing issues with RIM and reached this new agreement, while maintaining Nokia's ability to protect our unique product differentiation," said Paul Melin, chief intellectual property officer at Nokia. "This agreement demonstrates Nokia's industry leading patent portfolio and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities in the mobile communications market."

While the full terms of the agreement are not noted and remain confidential, it is highlighted that the agreements consists of a one-time payment and on-going payments from RIM to Nokia. So, that's that.

RIM and Kodak have had some issues over patents in the last few years, but today it looks like things may be copasetic as Kodak has sold off all of it's imaging patents. The patents have been transfered to Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation for the sum of $525 million, which Kodak hopes will pay off a chunk of their bankruptcy loan. If the deal goes through, companies including RIM, Google, Apple and Facebook will pay up for the rights to all of the patents. Hopefully this will kill off the disputes between RIM and Kodak once and for all. Keep reading for full details.

RIM and Kodak have had some issues over patents in the last few years, but today it looks like things may be copasetic as Kodak has sold off all of it's imaging patents. The patents have been transfered to Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation for the sum of $525 million, which Kodak hopes will pay off a chunk of their bankruptcy loan. If the deal goes through, companies including RIM, Google, Apple and Facebook will pay up for the rights to all of the patents. Hopefully this will kill off the disputes between RIM and Kodak once and for all. Keep reading for full details.

]]>Wed, 19 Dec 2012 20:05:04 +0000Adam Zeis176944 at http://crackberry.comhttp://crackberry.com/rim-and-others-buy-patents-failing-kodak#commentsNew York Times DealBook conference attendees get the full hands on experience with BlackBerry 10http://crackberry.com/new-york-times-dealbook-conference-attendees-get-full-hands-experiance-blackberry-10

Over the past few months BlackBerry has been on a world tour showing off the new BlackBerry 10 operating system to celebrities, carriers, people of the media and other influential members of the public. Their latest stop was at the New York Times DealBook: Opportunities for Tomorrow Conference in New York City.

During the conference, BlackBerry CMO Frank Boulben and Vivek Bhardwaj, Head of Software Portfolio at BlackBerry, took the stage to demonstrate the new operating system. After the presentation conference attendees were eager to get their hands on the future of BlackBerry. Check out the video to hear some of their great responses.

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Over the past few months BlackBerry has been on a world tour showing off the new BlackBerry 10 operating system to celebrities, carriers, people of the media and other influential members of the public. Their latest stop was at the New York Times DealBook: Opportunities for Tomorrow Conference in New York City.

During the conference, BlackBerry CMO Frank Boulben and Vivek Bhardwaj, Head of Software Portfolio at BlackBerry, took the stage to demonstrate the new operating system. After the presentation conference attendees were eager to get their hands on the future of BlackBerry. Check out the video to hear some of their great responses.

We told you recently about the Australian BlackBerry Got Game Port-A-Thon that took place in Sydney and it looks like RIM is taking it one step further now. Developers who could not attend the event can now take advantage of a virtual event this weekend. The All Aboard BlackBerry Port-A-Thon will take place on December 14th and will run for 36 hours.

We told you recently about the Australian BlackBerry Got Game Port-A-Thon that took place in Sydney and it looks like RIM is taking it one step further now. Developers who could not attend the event can now take advantage of a virtual event this weekend. The All Aboard BlackBerry Port-A-Thon will take place on December 14th and will run for 36 hours.

If there was any doubt if social media was important to RIM, we can clear that up right now. In the latest S&P/TSX 60 Index for Canada, RIM crushed it by taking top honors overall for the most active in social media for October. The index ranked the top companies in Canada on their use of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and RIM pulled in a combined score of 98.7 out of a possible 100. Pretty amazing stuff that truly shows the power of social media. While RIM came in 4th for the total number of Tweets, they still hold strong at number one for followers with over 1.5 million.

If there was any doubt if social media was important to RIM, we can clear that up right now. In the latest S&P/TSX 60 Index for Canada, RIM crushed it by taking top honors overall for the most active in social media for October. The index ranked the top companies in Canada on their use of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and RIM pulled in a combined score of 98.7 out of a possible 100. Pretty amazing stuff that truly shows the power of social media. While RIM came in 4th for the total number of Tweets, they still hold strong at number one for followers with over 1.5 million.

RIM has opened another tech center for students/developers, this time in Brazil. The center is located at the Federal University of Alagoas in Maceió - Alagoas and will provide students with access to resources including equipment, test applications, developer support and much more.

"The opening of the first BlackBerry Tech Center in Brazil reaffirms RIM's commitment to the country. We are looking to tap into the large talent in Brazil and invite them to come innovate with us to create the future of mobile computing," said Joao Stricker, Managing Director for Brazil at RIM. "By offering training and tools, a unique combination of startup culture and product excellence, we are supporting the innovation of the mobile developer ecosystem in Brazil."

As part of the BlackBerry Academic Program, the new tech center will give students access to create and test mobile applications for BlackBerry as well as help generate business opportunities. Keep reading for the full press release.

RIM has opened another tech center for students/developers, this time in Brazil. The center is located at the Federal University of Alagoas in Maceió - Alagoas and will provide students with access to resources including equipment, test applications, developer support and much more.

"The opening of the first BlackBerry Tech Center in Brazil reaffirms RIM's commitment to the country. We are looking to tap into the large talent in Brazil and invite them to come innovate with us to create the future of mobile computing," said Joao Stricker, Managing Director for Brazil at RIM. "By offering training and tools, a unique combination of startup culture and product excellence, we are supporting the innovation of the mobile developer ecosystem in Brazil."

As part of the BlackBerry Academic Program, the new tech center will give students access to create and test mobile applications for BlackBerry as well as help generate business opportunities. Keep reading for the full press release.

The BlackBerry "Action Starts Here" campaign was launched in India a few months ago now, but today sees it rolling out in China - which aims to encourage young people in China to take prompt action.

Themed on the message of "No Fear of Change, Take Action, Now!", this online campaign is recruiting young BlackBerry customers to share their stories about how BlackBerry smartphones have helped to raise their efficiency. For those who do not have a BlackBerry smartphone, RIM also encourages them to share their ideas on how they would want BlackBerry smartphones to help them boost their efficiency if they had one.

Interested participants can submit their stories or ideas in words, pictures or in video format. The champion of the campaign will be awarded two round-trip flight tickets to Bali, three-nights luxury hotel accommodation at Ametis Villa (sponsored by Zanadu.cn) and a BlackBerry® Bold 9900 smartphone. Participants will also have a chance to win other attractive prizes. Deadline for submission is December 21st, 2012. 30 shortlisted participants will be announced on December 25, and their submissions will be open for public voting from December 25 to December 28. Results will be announced on December 29. The whole campaign will end on January 15, 2013.

In addition, RIM has also invited two well-known BlackBerry users, Zan Ng, Founder and CEO of Zanadu.cn, an online travel agency targeting affluent travelers in China with member-only luxury travel services, and renowned food columnist Wanrong, to share their experiences on the brave decisions that they have made and how they achieved their goals.

The BlackBerry "Action Starts Here" campaign was launched in India a few months ago now, but today sees it rolling out in China - which aims to encourage young people in China to take prompt action.

Themed on the message of "No Fear of Change, Take Action, Now!", this online campaign is recruiting young BlackBerry customers to share their stories about how BlackBerry smartphones have helped to raise their efficiency. For those who do not have a BlackBerry smartphone, RIM also encourages them to share their ideas on how they would want BlackBerry smartphones to help them boost their efficiency if they had one.

Interested participants can submit their stories or ideas in words, pictures or in video format. The champion of the campaign will be awarded two round-trip flight tickets to Bali, three-nights luxury hotel accommodation at Ametis Villa (sponsored by Zanadu.cn) and a BlackBerry® Bold 9900 smartphone. Participants will also have a chance to win other attractive prizes. Deadline for submission is December 21st, 2012. 30 shortlisted participants will be announced on December 25, and their submissions will be open for public voting from December 25 to December 28. Results will be announced on December 29. The whole campaign will end on January 15, 2013.

In addition, RIM has also invited two well-known BlackBerry users, Zan Ng, Founder and CEO of Zanadu.cn, an online travel agency targeting affluent travelers in China with member-only luxury travel services, and renowned food columnist Wanrong, to share their experiences on the brave decisions that they have made and how they achieved their goals.

]]>Mon, 10 Dec 2012 08:48:30 +0000James Richardson176768 at http://crackberry.comhttp://crackberry.com/blackberry-action-starts-here-campaign-rolls-out-china#commentsThe BlackBerry Academic Program rolls out in in the Philippineshttp://crackberry.com/blackberry-academic-program-rolls-out-philippines

The BlackBerry Academic Program isn't new, but it is now rolling out for the first time in the Philippines thanks to RIM. The program, which is free, enables University students to gain knowledge in mobile application development, networks, spectrum and efficient use of battery life - just to name a few.

With people being so reliant on mobile computing in this day and age it makes perfect sense to start teaching students how to maximise their potential within the mobile space as soon as possible. The universities have access to the materials they need to teach attendees what they require for working with the BlackBerry platform, including the enterprise environment.

The BlackBerry Academic program is now available in 113 countries worldwide and it's great to see RIM continuing to support it where they can. It seems that prior to the release of BlackBerry 10, RIM can do no wrong on the development front.

The BlackBerry Academic Program isn't new, but it is now rolling out for the first time in the Philippines thanks to RIM. The program, which is free, enables University students to gain knowledge in mobile application development, networks, spectrum and efficient use of battery life - just to name a few.

With people being so reliant on mobile computing in this day and age it makes perfect sense to start teaching students how to maximise their potential within the mobile space as soon as possible. The universities have access to the materials they need to teach attendees what they require for working with the BlackBerry platform, including the enterprise environment.

The BlackBerry Academic program is now available in 113 countries worldwide and it's great to see RIM continuing to support it where they can. It seems that prior to the release of BlackBerry 10, RIM can do no wrong on the development front.

]]>Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:17:53 +0000James Richardson176724 at http://crackberry.comhttp://crackberry.com/blackberry-academic-program-rolls-out-philippines#commentsRIM expands its retail channels in Vietnam - along with after sales support for BlackBerry usershttp://crackberry.com/rim-expands-its-retail-channels-vietnam-along-after-sales-support-blackberry-users

BlackBerry market share looks to be on the up in Vietnam thanks to a new deal which will see Starcom as a new distribution partner. In addition to the new retail locations, customers who purchase BlackBerry smartphones can also benefit from after-sales support from local BlackBerry Expert Centers.

The new retail locations will be ranging the following BlackBerry devices, so it looks like the good people of Vietnam will have a great choice when it comes to which handset they opt for - plus all of the following will be available in both Black and Pure White.

BlackBerry market share looks to be on the up in Vietnam thanks to a new deal which will see Starcom as a new distribution partner. In addition to the new retail locations, customers who purchase BlackBerry smartphones can also benefit from after-sales support from local BlackBerry Expert Centers.

The new retail locations will be ranging the following BlackBerry devices, so it looks like the good people of Vietnam will have a great choice when it comes to which handset they opt for - plus all of the following will be available in both Black and Pure White.

]]>Sun, 02 Dec 2012 20:45:07 +0000James Richardson176564 at http://crackberry.comhttp://crackberry.com/rim-expands-its-retail-channels-vietnam-along-after-sales-support-blackberry-users#commentsStreet starting to show some more love for BlackBerryhttp://crackberry.com/street-starting-show-some-more-love-blackberry

Bay Street and Wall Street analysts are showing more optimism on RIM over the last 24 hours. Here's a quick recap of what's going on.

Byron Capital is a tiny firm most of you haven't heard of before, but their head of research is none other than the awesome Tom Astle - one of Canada's smartest tech analysts. He's also known for his casual writing style, which I'm a huge fan of. As discussed over at Cantechletter.com, he upped his target on RIM to $14 yesterday.

Astle is looking at fiscal 2015 estimates, which I'll remind everyone is pretty much the same as calendar 2014 (RIM's fiscal year ends February). He models RIM to sell 31 million BB10 handsets that year with an ASP of $450 and 20% gross margin, which implies a cost of $360 to make. Keep in mind this is a working model used to justify a $14 target. We all know (and he discusses) that margins could be higher or lower.

Bay Street and Wall Street analysts are showing more optimism on RIM over the last 24 hours. Here's a quick recap of what's going on.

Byron Capital is a tiny firm most of you haven't heard of before, but their head of research is none other than the awesome Tom Astle - one of Canada's smartest tech analysts. He's also known for his casual writing style, which I'm a huge fan of. As discussed over at Cantechletter.com, he upped his target on RIM to $14 yesterday.

Astle is looking at fiscal 2015 estimates, which I'll remind everyone is pretty much the same as calendar 2014 (RIM's fiscal year ends February). He models RIM to sell 31 million BB10 handsets that year with an ASP of $450 and 20% gross margin, which implies a cost of $360 to make. Keep in mind this is a working model used to justify a $14 target. We all know (and he discusses) that margins could be higher or lower.

Over the past few years there has been a lot of exploration with smartphone docking stations. Motorola tried it with their lapdock coupled with the Motorola Atrix and currently; ASUS is trying it out with their PadFone line. While none of those could be called a consumer success there is still plenty of interest out there for those products.

Over at Patent Bolt some older RIM patents have been dug up and those patents show that RIM could be working to fill those interests. The patents outline a netbook-like docking station that allows smartphone owners to interact with their device on a larger display all while charging it at the same time. Have a look at the background explanation.

Over the past few years there has been a lot of exploration with smartphone docking stations. Motorola tried it with their lapdock coupled with the Motorola Atrix and currently; ASUS is trying it out with their PadFone line. While none of those could be called a consumer success there is still plenty of interest out there for those products.

Over at Patent Bolt some older RIM patents have been dug up and those patents show that RIM could be working to fill those interests. The patents outline a netbook-like docking station that allows smartphone owners to interact with their device on a larger display all while charging it at the same time. Have a look at the background explanation.

Nokia is looking to ban the sale of all BlackBerry smartphones with WLAN capabilities (which is most current phones) following a dispute over patent royalty fees. This comes after the two companies entered arbitration back in September with the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce in Sweden. Nokia argues that an earlier patent ruling states RIM is not allowed to manufacture devices with wifi connectivity, while RIM is saying that the deal means they shouldn't have to pay fees for the WLAN technology in devices.

Nokia is looking to ban the sale of all BlackBerry smartphones with WLAN capabilities (which is most current phones) following a dispute over patent royalty fees. This comes after the two companies entered arbitration back in September with the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce in Sweden. Nokia argues that an earlier patent ruling states RIM is not allowed to manufacture devices with wifi connectivity, while RIM is saying that the deal means they shouldn't have to pay fees for the WLAN technology in devices.

Over in Singapore RIM has been getting stylish and funky on the fashion scene. Last month BlackBerry and ZALORA held a fashion show entitled Fashionably Bold with new looks by leading fashion personalities Wardrobe Trends Fashion, Moonberry, Model Schmodel and Sophie Willocq.

To celebrate this partnership, consumers who purchase any BlackBerry® smartphone through the various authorized partners, will receive a 15% discount from ZALORA Singapore, the island¹s one-stop online shopping destination across fashion, beauty and home & décor.

Over in Singapore RIM has been getting stylish and funky on the fashion scene. Last month BlackBerry and ZALORA held a fashion show entitled Fashionably Bold with new looks by leading fashion personalities Wardrobe Trends Fashion, Moonberry, Model Schmodel and Sophie Willocq.

To celebrate this partnership, consumers who purchase any BlackBerry® smartphone through the various authorized partners, will receive a 15% discount from ZALORA Singapore, the island¹s one-stop online shopping destination across fashion, beauty and home & décor.

]]>Sun, 25 Nov 2012 21:14:34 +0000James Richardson176325 at http://crackberry.comhttp://crackberry.com/rim-team-fashion-industry-singapore#commentsRIM and QNX reward young developers in China following a university competition http://crackberry.com/rim-and-qnx-reward-young-developers-china-following-university-competition

Back in May of this year RIM and QNX opened up a competition to university students in China to encourage them to create applications. With in excess of 140 universities taking part plus 58 test centres and 2 joint labs being set up in China we once again see 100% support from RIM towards application development.

Today the winners have been announced and the lucky few take away with them a cash prize, a BlackBerry PlayBook and also the opportunity to participate in an internship at one of ten partner companies in China - a fine prize if you ask me.

Back in May of this year RIM and QNX opened up a competition to university students in China to encourage them to create applications. With in excess of 140 universities taking part plus 58 test centres and 2 joint labs being set up in China we once again see 100% support from RIM towards application development.

Today the winners have been announced and the lucky few take away with them a cash prize, a BlackBerry PlayBook and also the opportunity to participate in an internship at one of ten partner companies in China - a fine prize if you ask me.

This weekend RIM's game Port-A-Thon took place which we told you about earlier in the month. To cut to the chase the event was a huge success. Although I don't have confirmed figures it is pretty safe to say that a few thousand apps were ported over to BlackBerry 10 from other operating systems which is a sign that BB10 is getting the dev community super excited.

The 36 hour long online event was organised by Lou Gazzola and he stayed awake and moderated for the duration (He must have got through a shed load of Red Bull and coffee)- so kudos to him. With over 1400 registrations for the event it was certain to be a busy day and a half and that it was. During the marathon session there were consistently 120+ devs online at any one time - all eager to get their apps ported over with the assistance of a team of crack experts from RIM.

This weekend RIM's game Port-A-Thon took place which we told you about earlier in the month. To cut to the chase the event was a huge success. Although I don't have confirmed figures it is pretty safe to say that a few thousand apps were ported over to BlackBerry 10 from other operating systems which is a sign that BB10 is getting the dev community super excited.

The 36 hour long online event was organised by Lou Gazzola and he stayed awake and moderated for the duration (He must have got through a shed load of Red Bull and coffee)- so kudos to him. With over 1400 registrations for the event it was certain to be a busy day and a half and that it was. During the marathon session there were consistently 120+ devs online at any one time - all eager to get their apps ported over with the assistance of a team of crack experts from RIM.